Intraluminal ultrasound imaging device comprising a substrate separated into a plurality of spaced-apart segments, intraluminal ultrasound imaging device comprising a trench, and method of manufacturing

ABSTRACT

An intraluminal ultrasound imaging device includes a flexible elongate member configured to be positioned within a body lumen of a patient. The flexible elongate member includes a proximal portion and a distal portion. The device also includes an ultrasound imaging assembly disposed at the distal portion of the flexible elongate member. The ultrasound imaging assembly is configured to obtain imaging data of the body lumen. The ultrasound imaging assembly includes a transducer array including a substrate, a silicon oxide layer disposed over the substrate, and a plurality of rows of micromachined ultrasound transducer elements disposed on the silicon oxide layer. Two of the plurality of rows of micromachined ultrasound transducer elements are spaced apart by a trench formed by etching through a screen formed in the silicon oxide layer. Associated devices, systems, and methods are also provided.

CROSS-REFERENCE TO RELATED APPLICATIONS

The present application claims priority to and the benefit of U.S.Provisional Application No. 62/527,143, filed Jun. 30, 2017, and U.S.Provisional Application No. 62/679,134, filed Jun. 1, 2018, theentireties of which are incorporated by reference.

TECHNICAL FIELD

The present disclosure relates generally to microelectromechanicalsystems (MEMS) and, in particular, to an ultrasound transducer array andmethod of fabricating the same. For example, in some embodiments, themethod of fabricating an ultrasound transducer array can include forminga buried trench without having to fill the trench with temporary fillingmaterials.

BACKGROUND

The Flex-to-Rigid (F2R) technology is a manufacturing platform thatenables fabrication of miniature and complex electromechanicalcomponents, such as sensors and imaging transducers in large numbers ontips of minimally invasive catheters and guide wires. MEMS devices, suchas a capacitive micromachined ultrasound transducer (CMUT) array or apiezoelectric micromachined ultrasound transducer (PMUT) array, arefirst fabricated on a semiconductor substrate and then transferred to aflexible substrate. Utilizing the F2R technology, the CMUT or PMUT arraycan be formed in a variety of sizes on the semiconductor substrate,along with application specific integrated circuit (ASIC) and passivecomponents. One of the most common semiconductor substrates is a siliconsubstrate. As silicon is a good conductor of sound waves, cross talkbetween CMUT or PMUT transducers can be a problem. A solution to thecross talk problem is forming the ultrasound transducers on islandsisolated by buried trenches.

Conventionally, forming a buried trench to isolate micromachinedultrasound transducers requires filling trenches with a sacrificialmaterial, such as a polymer, and removing the sacrificial material in alater step, such as a step of selective etching from a backside of thesemiconductor substrate. The sacrificial material temporarily filled inthe trench has a tendency to shrink during curing or hardening and cancause stress in the semiconductor substrate, resulting in undesirablebowing or warping of the semiconductor substrate. In addition, as it isdesirable to minimize the width of the trench to maximize scanner areasfor micromachined ultrasound transducers, it becomes increasinglydifficult to fill the ever smaller trenches with the sacrificialmaterial.

SUMMARY

Embodiments of the present disclosure provide a method of fabricatingburied trenches in a microelectromechanical system (MEMS) device, suchas an ultrasound transducer element that obtains image data of a bodylumen of a patient. An exemplary method includes forming a screen out ofsilicon oxide or metal lines over a region on a semiconductor substrateand then etching the region with deep reactive ion etching (DRIE) andusing the screen as an etch mask. By increasing cycle times of the DRIE,a substantially vertical trench can be formed in the region while thescreen remains in place. A non-conformal layer is then deposited overthe semiconductor substrate to close holes in the screen without fillingthe trench, thereby forming a buried trench.

In an exemplary embodiment, an intraluminal ultrasound imaging device isprovided. The device includes a flexible elongate member configured tobe positioned within a body lumen of a patient, the flexible elongatemember comprising a proximal portion and a distal portion; and anultrasound imaging assembly disposed at the distal portion of theflexible elongate member, the ultrasound imaging assembly configured toobtain imaging data of the body lumen, the ultrasound imaging assemblycomprising a transducer array comprising: a substrate separated into aplurality of spaced-apart segments, a hard mask layer disposed over thesubstrate, and a plurality of rows of transducer elements disposed onthe hard mask layer, wherein at least one sidewall of each of theplurality of spaced-apart segments of the substrate comprises wave-likefeatures propagating along two directions perpendicular to one another.The plurality of spaced-apart segments may be fully and/or partiallyseparated from one another.

In some embodiments, the substrate comprises silicon, and the hard masklayer comprises silicon oxide. In some embodiments, each of theplurality of rows of transducer elements comprises capacitivemicromachined ultrasound transducer (CMUT) elements or piezoelectricmicromachined ultrasound transducer (PMUT) elements. In someembodiments, the ultrasound imaging assembly further comprises aflexible interconnect, two of the plurality of rows of transducerelements are spaced apart from one another by a trench, the flexibleinterconnect spans over the trench, and the flexible interconnectcomprises a surface including an array of recesses. In some embodiments,the device further includes a tubular member, wherein the flexibleinterconnect and the transducer array positioned around the tubularmember.

In an exemplary embodiment, a method of manufacturing an intraluminalultrasound imaging device is provided. The method includes providing asubstrate comprising a hard mask on a first side of the substrate;forming a first plurality of holes through the hard mask in a firstarea; etching the substrate through the first plurality of holes,thereby forming a trench; depositing a material layer over firstplurality of holes; forming a plurality of ultrasound transducerelements in a second area adjacent to the first area; and forming aflexible layer over the substrate in the first and second areas.

In some embodiments, the substrate is a silicon-on-insulator (SOI)substrate. In some embodiments, providing the substrate comprisesforming the hard mask on the first side of the substrate. In someembodiments, forming the first plurality of holes through the hard maskin the first area comprises etching the hard mask using a metal layer asan etch mask, the metal layer including a second plurality of holes. Insome embodiments, etching the substrate through the first plurality ofholes comprises etching the substrate through the first plurality ofholes using deep reactive ion etching (DRIE). In some embodiments,depositing the material layer over the first plurality of holescomprises depositing the material layer using plasma-enhanced chemicalvapor deposition (PECVD). In some embodiments, forming the plurality ofultrasound transducer elements in the second area comprises formingcapacitive micromachined ultrasound transducer (CMUT) elements orpiezoelectric micromachined ultrasound transducer (PMUT) elements. Insome embodiments, the method further comprises: forming an opening on asecond side of the substrate to expose the trench. In some embodiments,the method further comprises: removing, from the second side through theopening, the material layer and the hard mask exposed in the trench. Insome embodiments, the method further comprises: planarizing the materiallayer deposited over the first plurality of holes.

In an exemplary embodiment, an intraluminal ultrasound imaging device isprovided. The device includes a flexible elongate member configured tobe positioned within a body lumen of a patient, the flexible elongatemember comprising a proximal portion and a distal portion; and anultrasound imaging assembly disposed at the distal portion of theflexible elongate member, the ultrasound imaging assembly configured toobtain imaging data of the body lumen, the ultrasound imaging assemblycomprising a transducer array comprising: a substrate, a silicon oxidelayer disposed over the substrate, and a plurality of rows ofmicromachined ultrasound transducer elements disposed on the siliconoxide layer, wherein two of the plurality of rows of micromachinedultrasound transducer elements are spaced apart by a trench formed byetching through a screen formed in the silicon oxide layer.

Additional aspects, features, and advantages of the present disclosurewill become apparent from the following detailed description.

BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS

Illustrative embodiments of the present disclosure will be describedwith reference to the accompanying drawings, of which:

FIG. 1A is a diagrammatic schematic view of an intraluminal ultrasoundimaging system, according to an embodiment of the present disclosure.

FIG. 1B is a diagrammatic perspective view of an intraluminal ultrasoundimaging device including an ultrasound scanner assembly, according to anembodiment of the present disclosure.

FIGS. 2A, 2B, 2C, 2D, 2E and 2F are diagrammatic cross-sectional viewsof a semiconductor substrate in a fabrication process, according to anembodiment of the present disclosure.

FIG. 3 is a flow chart of a method of fabricating a buried trench on asemiconductor substrate, according to an embodiment of the presentdisclosure.

FIGS. 4A, 4B, 4C, 4D, 4E, 4F, and 4G are diagrammatic top views andcross-sectional views of a semiconductor substrate in differentoperations of an embodiment of the method in FIG. 3, according to anembodiment of the present disclosure.

FIGS. 5A, 5B, 5C, 5D, 5E, 5F, 5G, 5H, and 5I are diagrammatic top viewsand cross-sectional views of a semiconductor substrate in differentoperations of another embodiment of the method in FIG. 3, according toan embodiment of the present disclosure.

FIG. 6 is a scanning electron microscope (SEM) image of a trench formedusing deep reactive ion etching (DRIE), according to aspects of thepresent disclosure.

FIGS. 7A and 7B are SEM images of a buried trench formed using DRIEaccording to embodiments of the present disclosure.

FIGS. 8A and 8B are diagrammatic top views of a semiconductor substratewith different sidewall configurations according to embodiments of thepresent disclosure.

DETAILED DESCRIPTION

For the purposes of promoting an understanding of the principles of thepresent disclosure, reference will now be made to the embodimentsillustrated in the drawings, and specific language will be used todescribe the same. It is nevertheless understood that no limitation tothe scope of the disclosure is intended. Any alterations and furthermodifications to the described devices, systems, and methods, and anyfurther application of the principles of the present disclosure arefully contemplated and included within the present disclosure as wouldnormally occur to one skilled in the art to which the disclosurerelates. For example, while the formation of the buried trench isdescribed in terms of intravascular ultrasound imaging, it is understoodthat it is not intended to be limited to this application. The formationof the buried trench is equally well suited to any application requiringa buried trench. In particular, it is fully contemplated that thefeatures, components, and/or steps described with respect to oneembodiment may be combined with the features, components, and/or stepsdescribed with respect to other embodiments of the present disclosure.For the sake of brevity, however, the numerous iterations of thesecombinations will not be described separately.

FIG. 1A is a diagrammatic schematic view of an intraluminal ultrasoundimaging system 100, according to aspects of the present disclosure. Forexample, the system 100 can be intravascular ultrasound (IVUS) imagingsystem. The intraluminal ultrasound imaging system 100 may include asolid-state IVUS device 102 such as a catheter, guide wire, or guidecatheter, a patient interface module (PIM) 104, an IVUS processingsystem or console 106, and a monitor 108.

At a high level, the IVUS device 102 emits ultrasonic energy from atransducer array 124 included in scanner assembly 110 mounted near adistal end of the catheter device. The ultrasonic energy is reflected bytissue structures in the medium, such as a vessel 120, surrounding thescanner assembly 110, and the ultrasound echo signals are received bythe transducer array 124. The PIM 104 transfers the received echosignals to the console or computer 106 where the ultrasound image(including the flow information) is reconstructed and displayed on themonitor 108. The console or computer 106 can include a processor and amemory. The computer or computing device 106 can be operable tofacilitate the features of the IVUS imaging system 100 described herein.For example, the processor can execute computer readable instructionsstored on the non-transitory tangible computer readable medium.

The PIM 104 facilitates communication of signals between the IVUSconsole 106 and the scanner assembly 110 included in the IVUS device102. This communication includes the steps of: (1) providing commands toone or more control logic integrated circuits included in the scannerassembly 110 to select the particular transducer array element(s) to beused for transmit and receive, (2) providing the transmit triggersignals to the one or more control logic integrated circuits included inthe scanner assembly 110 to activate the transmitter circuitry togenerate an electrical pulse to excite the selected transducer arrayelement(s), and/or (3) accepting amplified echo signals received fromthe selected transducer array element(s) via amplifiers included on theone or more control logic integrated circuits of the scanner assembly110. In some embodiments, the PIM 104 performs preliminary processing ofthe echo data prior to relaying the data to the console 106. In examplesof such embodiments, the PIM 104 performs amplification, filtering,and/or aggregating of the data. In an embodiment, the PIM 104 alsosupplies high- and low-voltage DC power to support operation of thedevice 102 including circuitry within the scanner assembly 110.

The IVUS console 106 receives the echo data from the scanner assembly110 by way of the PIM 104 and processes the data to reconstruct an imageof the tissue structures in the medium surrounding the scanner assembly110. The console 106 outputs image data such that an image of the vessel120, such as a cross-sectional image of the vessel 120, is displayed onthe monitor 108. Generally, the system 100 and/or the device 102 can beused in any suitable lumen of a patient body. In that regard, the system100 can be an intraluminal ultrasound imaging system, and the device 102can be an intraluminal ultrasound imaging device. The system 100 and/orthe device 102 can be referenced as an interventional device, atherapeutic device, a diagnostic device, etc. The device 102 can besized and shaped, structurally arranged, and/or otherwise configured tobe positioned within the vessel or lumen 120. Lumen or vessel 120 mayrepresent fluid filled or surrounded structures, both natural andman-made. The lumen or vessel 120 may be within a body of a patient. Thevessel 120 may be a blood vessel, such as an artery or a vein of apatient's vascular system, including cardiac vasculature, peripheralvasculature, neural vasculature, renal vasculature, and/or or any othersuitable lumen inside the body. For example, the device 102 may be usedto examine any number of anatomical locations and tissue types,including without limitation, organs including the liver, heart,kidneys, gall bladder, pancreas, lungs; ducts; intestines; nervoussystem structures including the brain, dural sac, spinal cord andperipheral nerves; the urinary tract; as well as valves within theblood, chambers or other parts of the heart, and/or other systems of thebody. In addition to natural structures, the device 102 may be may beused to examine man-made structures such as, but without limitation,heart valves, stents, shunts, filters and other devices.

In some embodiments, the IVUS device includes some features similar totraditional solid-state IVUS catheters, such as the EagleEye® catheteravailable from Volcano Corporation and those disclosed in U.S. Pat. No.7,846,101 hereby incorporated by reference in its entirety. For example,the IVUS device 102 includes the scanner assembly 110 near a distal endof the device 102 and a transmission line bundle 112 extending along thelongitudinal body of the device 102. The transmission line bundle orcable 112 can include a plurality of conductors, including one, two,three, four, five, six, seven, or more conductors 134 (as shown in FIG.1B). It is understood that any suitable gauge wire can be used for theconductors 134. In an embodiment, the cable 112 can include afour-conductor transmission line arrangement with, e.g., 41 AWG gaugewires. In an embodiment, the cable 112 can include a seven-conductortransmission line arrangement utilizing, e.g., 44 AWG gauge wires. Insome embodiments, 43 AWG gauge wires can be used.

The transmission line bundle 112 terminates in a PIM connector 114 at aproximal end of the device 102. The PIM connector 114 electricallycouples the transmission line bundle 112 to the PIM 104 and physicallycouples the IVUS device 102 to the PIM 104. In an embodiment, the IVUSdevice 102 further includes a guide wire exit port 116. Accordingly, insome instances the IVUS device is a rapid-exchange catheter. The guidewire exit port 116 allows a guide wire 118 to be inserted towards thedistal end in order to direct the device 102 through the vessel 120.

FIG. 1B is a diagrammatic perspective view of the intraluminal imagingdevice 102, including the ultrasound scanner assembly 110 in FIG. 1A. Insome embodiments, the ultrasound scanner assembly 110 can be disposed ata distal portion of a flexible elongate member 115 of the device 102.The flexible elongate member 115 is sized and shaped, structurallyarranged, and/or otherwise configured to be positioned within a bodylumen of a patient. The scanner assembly 110 obtains ultrasound imagingdata associated with the body lumen while the device 102 is positionedwithin the body lumen. As shown in FIG. 1B, the scanner assembly 110 mayinclude a transducer array 124 positioned around a longitudinal axis LAof the device 102. In some instances, the array 124 is disposed in arolled or cylindrical configuration around a tubular member 126. In someinstances, the scanner assembly 110 can include a diameter between about0.8 mm and about 1.6 mm, such as 1.2 mm. The tubular member 126 can alsobe referred to as a support member, a unibody, or a ferrule. In someimplementations, the tubular member 126 can include a lumen 128. Thelumen 128 can be sized and shaped to receive a guide wire, such as theguide wire 118 shown in FIG. 1A. The device 102 can be configured to bemoved along or ride on the guide wire 118 to a desired location withinthe physiology of the patient. In those implementations, the lumen 128can be referred to as a guide wire lumen 128. In some embodiments, thescanner assembly 110 may also include a backing material 130 between thetransducer array 124 and the tubular member 126. In that regard, thetubular member 126 can include stands that radially space the transducerarray 124 from the body of the member 126. The backing material 130 canbe disposed within the radial space between the tubular member 126 andthe array 124. The backing material 130 serves as an acoustic damper toreduce excessive vibration and to improve axial resolution of theresulting ultrasound imaging device.

As shown in the enlarged view of a region of the transducer array 124,the transducer array 124 can include a plurality of rows of ultrasoundtransducer elements 140 (or a plurality of rows of acoustic elements140) fabricated on a semiconductor substrate 132. The semiconductorsubstrate 132 is divided into a plurality of islands 141 spaced apartfrom one another and/or separated by buried trenches 144. That is, thesubstrate 132 is separated into a plurality of spaced-apart segments141. The spaced-apart segments 141 of the substrate 132 may be fullyseparated from one another, partially separated from one another, and/ora combination of fully and partially separated from one another. Thedivided islands 141 of the semiconductor substrate 132 are coupled to acommon flexible interconnect 142. The flexible interconnect 142 canextend around the elements 140 as well as across and/or over thetrenches 144. The flexible interconnect 142 can include holes alignedwith a diaphragm or movable membrane 143 of the transducer elements 140.In such instances, the interconnect 142 does not completely cover theislands 141. The interconnect 142 can cover portions of the islands 141that do not include the diaphragm or movable membrane 143 of thetransducer elements 140. In some embodiments, the interconnect 142completely covers the islands 141, including the diaphragm or movablemembrane 143 of the transducer elements 140, such as when the flexibleinterconnect 142 also comprises an acoustic matching layer. The trenches144 isolate the islands 141, which allows islands to be orientated atdifferent angles, such as when the array 124 is positioned around thelongitudinal axis LA of the device 102. The flexible interconnect 142 ismade of polymer material, such as polyimide (for example, KAPTON™(trademark of DuPont)), and can be considered a flexible substrate.Other suitable polymer materials include polyester films, polyimidefilms, polyethylene napthalate films, or polyetherimide films, otherflexible printed semiconductor substrates as well as products such asUpilex® (registered trademark of Ube Industries) and TEFLON® (registeredtrademark of E.I. du Pont). As the transducer array 124 is firstfabricated on the semiconductor substrate 132, which is rigid, and thena flexible substrate (i.e. the flexible interconnect 142) is positionedover the transducer array 124, the transducer array 124 is fabricatedusing flexible-to-rigid (F2R) technology. The buried trenches 144 arepositioned under the flexible interconnect 142 and form the fold lineswhen the transducer array 124 is rolled around the tubular member 126.

The scanner assembly 110 may include one or more control logicintegrated circuits (IC), such as application specific integratedcircuits (ASICs). In some embodiments, the one or more control logic ICscan be mounted on the imaging assembly 110 longitudinally proximal tothe transducer array 124. In some other embodiments, the one or morecontrol logic ICs can be disposed between the rolled-around transducerarray 124 and the tubular member 126. Aspects of an intraluminal imagingdevice, including various techniques of transforming the transducerarray 124 from a flat configuration to a cylindrical or rolled-aroundconfiguration, are disclosed in one or more of U.S. Pat. Nos. 6,776,763,7,226,417, U.S. Provisional App. No. 62/596,154, filed Dec. 8, 2017,U.S. Provisional App. No. 62/596,141, filed Dec. 8, 2017, U.S.Provisional App. No. 62/596,300, filed Dec. 8, 2017, U.S. ProvisionalApp. No. 62/596,205, filed Dec. 8, 2017, each of which is herebyincorporated by reference in its entirety.

In some embodiments, the transducer elements of the array 124 and/or thecontroller ICs can be positioned in an annular configuration, such as acircular configuration or in a polygon configuration, around thelongitudinal axis LA of the support member 126. It will be understoodthat the longitudinal axis LA of the support member 126 may also bereferred to as the longitudinal axis of the scanner assembly 110, theflexible elongate member 115, and/or the device 102. For example, across-sectional profile of the imaging assembly 110 at the transducerelement array 124 and/or the controller ICs can be a circle or apolygon. Any suitable annular polygon shape can be implemented, such asa based on the number of controllers/transducers, flexibility of thecontrollers/transducers, etc., including a pentagon, hexagon, heptagon,octagon, nonagon, decagon, etc. In some examples, the plurality ofcontroller ICs may be used for controlling the plurality of ultrasoundtransducer elements of the array 124 to obtain imaging data associatedwith the body lumen 120.

In some embodiments, the substrate 132 may be formed of a semiconductormaterial. Each of the ultrasound transducer elements 140 in thetransducer array 124 can be a micromachined ultrasound transducer, suchas a capacitive micromachined ultrasound transducer (CMUT) or apiezoelectric micromachined ultrasound transducer (PMUT). While each ofthe ultrasound transducer elements 140 is illustrated as being circularin shape, it should be understood that each of the ultrasound transducerelements 140 can be in any shape.

The buried trench 144 can be fabricated using a process demonstrated inFIGS. 2A-2F. Referring now to FIG. 2A, shown therein is a MEMS device200. The MEMS device 200 can be fabricated on a semiconductor substrate202, such as a silicon (Si) substrate or a germanium (Ge) substrate. Insome embodiments, the semiconductor substrate 202 may include a compoundsemiconductor such as silicon carbide (SiC), silicon germanium (SiGe),silicon germanium carbide (SiGeC). In some implementations, thesemiconductor substrate may include a silicon on insulator (SOI)substrate. To fabricate the buried trenches 144, trenches 204 can beformed on the semiconductor substrate 202 by dry etching, includingreactive ion etching (RIE), or wet etching techniques. In someembodiments, the trenches 204 can be formed using deep trench reactiveion etching (DRIE). The DRIE utilizes a succession of short etch andpassivation cycles to produce a substantially straight sidewall. Thetrenches 204 define a plurality of islands 205 on the semiconductorsubstrate 202. In some embodiments, each of the plurality of islands 205includes a width between about 50 μm and about 90 μm, such as about 70μm, and a thickness between about 20 μm and about 60 μm, such as 40 μm.

As shown in FIG. 2B, the trenches 204 can then be filled with asacrificial polymer material 206, such as a polymer. For example, thesacrificial polymer material may include polyimide or benzocyclobutene(BCB). In some embodiment, the sacrificial polymer material 206 may bedeposited on the substrate 202 using a spin coating technique. After thesacrificial polymer material 206 is coated on the substrate 202, thesubstrate 202 can be placed in an oven or irradiated with ultravioletlight to cure the sacrificial polymer material 206 and to drive away thesolvent in the sacrificial polymer material 206. Once the sacrificialpolymer material 206 is cured, it can be planarized by a planarizationprocess, such as chemical mechanical polishing (CMP). MEMS components,such as micromachined ultrasound transducer elements 208, are thenfabricated on each of the islands 205. In some implementations, each ofthe micromachined ultrasound transducer elements 208 can include adiaphragm and a drumhead. As shown in FIG. 2D, to transfer the MEMSdevice 200 onto a flexible substrate, a flexible interconnect 210 isformed over the semiconductor substrate 202, including over themicromachined ultrasound transducer elements 208 and the trench-fillingsacrificial material 206. Reference is now made to FIG. 2E, thesemiconductor substrate 202 is then etched from a backside to expose thesacrificial polymer material 206 by dry etching, including reactive ionetching (RIE), or wet etching. In some embodiments represented in FIG.2E, because of high etching selectivity between the sacrificial polymermaterial 206 and the semiconductor substrate 202, the sacrificialpolymer material 206 remains largely unetched. As illustrated in FIG.2F, the buried trenches 214 are formed after the sacrificial polymermaterial 206 is removed from the semiconductor substrate 202.

The process illustrated in FIGS. 2A-2F is not entirely satisfactory.Firstly, the polymers limit the temperature budget that is allowed afterfilling of the trenches. Furthermore, the sacrificial polymer material206 can shrink during curing, thereby exerting stress on thesemiconductor substrate 202. This stress can cause unacceptable bowingor warping of the semiconductor substrate 202. In addition, as the arraydensity of the MEMS device 200 increases, the trenches 204 can becomenarrower. The narrower trenches 204 can make it difficult for thesacrificial polymer material 206 to fill the trenches 204 in spincoating processes, leaving behind undesirable voids. At the backsideetching step shown in FIG. 2E, such voids may lead to uneven etching ofthe islands and therefore, deteriorated performance of the MEMS device200.

Referring now to FIG. 3, shown therein is a flowchart of a method 300for fabricating buried trenches without use of a sacrificial material,such as the sacrificial polymer material 206 in FIG. 2B. The method 300can be a method of a manufacturing an intraluminal ultrasound imagingdevice. The method 300 is merely an example, and is not intended tolimit the present disclosure beyond what is explicitly recited in theclaims. Additional operations can be provided before, during, and afterthe method 300, and some operations can be replaced, eliminated, ormoved around for additional embodiments of the method.

The method 300 can be applied in multiple different process settings.For example, the method 300 can be applied in a stand-alone settingwhere a MEMS device 400 (such as an ultrasound transducer array 400) isfabricated alone on a semiconductor substrate 402 as shown in FIGS.4A-4G, as well as in an integrated setting where a MEMS device 500 (suchas an ultrasound transducer array 500) is fabricated along with otherelectrical components as shown in FIGS. 5A-5I.

Reference is now made to FIG. 4A. In the stand-alone setting, the method300 begins at block 302 where a semiconductor substrate 402 is received.The semiconductor substrate 402 can be a silicon (Si) substrate or agermanium (Ge) substrate. In some embodiments, the semiconductorsubstrate 402 may include a compound semiconductor such as siliconcarbide (SiC), silicon germanium (SiGe), silicon germanium carbide(SiGeC). The semiconductor substrate 402 includes a hard mask 404thereon. In some embodiments, the hard mask 404 may be formed of siliconoxide (SiO₂) using chemical vapor deposition (CVD). In someimplementations, the hard mask 404 may be formed of silicon nitride(SiN) or silicon oxynitride (SiON). In some instances, the hard mask 404has a thickness ranging between 0.5 μm and 2 μm, including, for example,1 μm. As illustrated in the top view in FIG. 4A, the semiconductorsubstrate 402 includes circular-shaped areas 406 that are projectedareas for micromachined ultrasound transducer elements, such as CMUTs.The areas 406 are disposed on islands surrounded by isolation areas 408where isolation features, such as buried trenches are to be formed. Insome instances, the semiconductor substrate 402 can be asilicon-on-insulator (SOI) substrate having a buried oxide (BOX) layerof a well-defined thickness.

Referring now to FIG. 4B, the method 300 proceeds to block 304 where thehard mask, such as the hard mask 404 in FIG. 4B, is patterned to form ascreen over the isolation areas 408 around the areas 406 where themicromachined ultrasound transducer elements are to be fabricated. Inthe embodiments represented in FIG. 4B, arrays of rectangular holes 410(or holes 410) are formed through the hard mask 404, leaving behindsubstantially straight hard mask lines 409 that extend along the Xdirection and substantially straight hard mask lines 411 that extend theY direction on the top-facing surface. The hard mask lines 409 and thehard mask lines 411 form a screen (or a grid) with rectangular holes 410exposing the underneath the semiconductor substrate 402. In someimplementations, each of the rectangular holes 410 are substantiallysquare in shape and includes a width/length between about 0.5 μm andabout 2 μm, including, for example, about 1 μm. In theseimplementations, the array of rectangular holes 410 includes a pitchthat is about two times of the width/length of the hole. For example,when the width/length of each of the rectangular holes 410 is about 1μm, the pitch of the array of rectangular holes 410 is about 2 μm. Whilethe holes 410 are rectangular in FIG. 4B, the present disclosure is notso limited. In some embodiments, the holes 410 can be of any shape,including circular, triangular, hexagonal, polygonal, elongated slit, orirregular shapes. The advantages of the embodiments of the presentdisclosure can be present as long as the hard mask 404 is patterned intoa screen with through holes formed therein.

Referring now to FIG. 4C, the method 300 proceeds to block 306 where theisolation areas 408 are etched using the screen as an etch mask to formtrenches 412 and 414. In some embodiments, the operations at block 306are performed using an etching chemistry that has etching selectivitywith respect to the semiconductor substrate 402. That way, the materialof the semiconductor substrate 402 can be selectively etched withoutsubstantially damaging the screen formed of the hard mask 404. In someimplementations, the operations at block 306 are performed using a DRIEprocess that preferentially etches the silicon substrate exposed by thescreen without substantially damaging the screen formed of siliconoxide. In some embodiments, a cycle time for etch cycles of the DRIEprocess can be increased to increase the undercut, so as to etch thesubstrate material under the hard mask lines 409 and 411. The operationsof block 306 create trenches 412 and 414 that are buried under thescreen. In that regard, trenches 412 and 414 are created while thescreen formed in the hard mask 404 remains positioned over trenches 412and 414. That is, the hard mask 404 positioned over the trenches 412 and414 is not completely etched through while the trenches 412 and 414 areformed. In that regard, the trenches 412 and 414 can be referenced asburied trenches in that trenches are positioned under the screen formedin the hard mask 404. The trenches 412 and 414 can include a depth 413.In some instances, the depth 413 can be between about 30 μm and 50 μm,including, for example, about 40 μm. In cases in which an SOI substrateis used, the depth of the trenches is equal to the thickness of the topsilicon layer of the SOI substrate. In the embodiments represented inFIG. 4C, the trenches 412 and 414 are straight along the Y direction. Insome embodiments, the trenches 412, 414 are linear. In some otherembodiments, the trenches 412 and 414 are curved. In still some otherembodiments, the trenches 412 and 414 are serpentine in shape. Thetrenches 412, 414 can track the profiles of the areas 406 where themicromachined ultrasound transducer elements will be formed. Curvedtrenches may be used to make, e.g. circular islands, which fit on thetip of a catheter. Serpentine catheters may be used to achieve anoptimal packing density of circular ultrasound transducers. The trenches412 and 414 define islands 441 in the substrate 402.

Referring now to FIG. 4D, the method 300 proceeds to block 308 where amaterial layer 416 is deposited over the screen to close the throughholes 410. In some embodiments, the material layer 416 is formed overthe screen using a process that does not fill the trenches 412 and 414with the material layer 416. In some implementations, the material layer416 can be a silicon oxide layer deposited using plasma-enhancedchemical vapor deposition (PECVD) to close the holes 410. Putdifferently, the operations of block 308 lay the material layer 416 overthe screen to completely cover the trenches 412 and 414 without fillingthem. The operations at block 308 therefore leave trenches 412 and 414buried under the screen and the material layer 416. In some instances,while the material layer 416 covers and closes the through holes 410,the material layer 416 can include recesses that correspond to locationsof the through holes 410. In the embodiments represented in FIG. 4D, thearray of holes 410 can cause the material layer 416 to have acorresponding array of recesses. In implementations where the holes 410are elongated slits, the material layer 416 can have corresponding arrayof elongated recesses.

The method 300 may include further processes to form the MEMS device400. For example, as shown in FIG. 4E, a plurality of micromachinedultrasound transducer elements 418 can be formed in the areas 406 inFIG. 4A. The transducer elements 418 can be formed in areas adjacent toareas where the trenches 412 are formed. The transducer elements 418 canbe arranged in a plurality of rows extending longitudinally along thelength of the scanner assembly 110 and/or the device 102. In theillustrated embodiment, each row includes a single line of transducerelements 418. Each row of transducer elements 418 and/or each island 441can be spaced from another by the trench 412. In other embodiments,transducer elements 418 can be arranged in any other suitableconfiguration. For example, transducer elements 418 can be arranged in aside by side or staggered manner with a given island 441 (e.g., two ormore side by side rows or staggered rows). Each island 441, with such agroup of transducer elements 418, can be spaced from another island 441with another group of transducer elements 418 by the trench 412. Thetrenches 412 can extend the length of the islands 441. The trenches 412can partially and/or fully surround the islands 441 in some instances.The plurality of micromachined ultrasound transducer elements 418 can bea plurality of CMUTs or a plurality of PMUTs. For another example, asshown in FIG. 4F, after the plurality of micromachined ultrasoundtransducer elements 418 is formed in the areas 406, a flexible polymerlayer 420 can be formed over the micromachined ultrasound transducerelements 418 and the buried trenches 412 and 414. In someimplementations, electrical traces and interconnects can be fabricatedin the flexible polymer layer 420 to form a flexible interconnect. Insome further embodiments, as shown in FIG. 4G, the semiconductorsubstrate 402 can be etched from a backside to form opening 422. Theopening 422 exposes the buried trenches 412 and 414 from the backside,resulting in a structure similar to the MEMS device 200 in FIG. 2F. Inthose embodiments, the etching from the backside of the semiconductorsubstrate 402 can be performed using an anisotropic etching process,such as DRIE. In some implementations, the method 300 can includeremoving portion of the flexible polymer layer 420 to expose theplurality of micromachined ultrasound transducer elements 418.

Reference is now made to FIGS. 5A-5I, which show top views andcross-sectional views of a MEMS device 500 going through differentprocesses in another embodiment of the method 300. Different from theMEMS device 400 in FIGS. 4A-4G, the MEMS device 500 includes activecircuit elements, such as metal oxide semiconductor (MOS) transistors oran ASIC, underneath the array of MEMS components. Referring now to FIG.5A, at block 302 of the method 300, a semiconductor substrate 502 isreceived. The semiconductor substrate 502 can be a silicon (Si)substrate or a germanium (Ge) substrate. In some embodiments, thesemiconductor substrate 502 may include a compound semiconductor such assilicon carbide (SiC), silicon germanium (SiGe), silicon germaniumcarbide (SiGeC). The semiconductor substrate 502 includes a hard mask504 thereon. In some embodiments, the hard mask 504 may be formed ofsilicon oxide (SiO₂) using chemical vapor deposition (CVD). In someimplementations, the hard mask 504 may be formed of silicon nitride(SiN) or silicon oxynitride (SiON). In some instances, the hard mask 504includes a thickness ranging between 0.5 μm and 2 μm, including, forexample, 1 μm. In some implementations, the substrate 502 can be asilicon-on-insulator (SOI) substrate that includes a buried oxide (BOX).As illustrated in 5A, the semiconductor substrate 502 includesinterconnect regions 512 and 516. The interconnect regions 512 and 516are separated by a trench region 514. In the interconnect regions 512and 516, the semiconductor substrate 502 includes a plurality ofinterconnect layers, such as a first metal layer 506 and a second metallayer 508 and additional metal layers 509. The additional metal layers509 may include interconnect structures, via contacts, activecomponents, such as complementary metal oxide semiconductor (CMOS)devices, and passive electrical components. Interlayer dielectric (ILD),such as ILD 510, separates each of the first metal layer 506, the secondmetal layer 508, and the metal layers 509. In the embodimentsrepresented in FIG. 5B, in the trench region 514, the semiconductorsubstrate 502 includes the first and second metal layers 506 and 508,but not the additional metal layers 509. In some instances, a totalheight of the first metal layer 506, the second metal layer 508, theadditional metal layers 509, and the ILDs 510 can be about or more than10 μm. In those instances, forming a screen that has openings with adimension of about 1 μm can be challenging. In the trench region 514,the semiconductor substrate 502 includes ILD 510 in place of theadditional metal layer 509. The first metal layer 506 in the trenchregion 514 can be referred to as the first metal layer 526 and thesecond metal layer 508 in the trench region 514 can be referred to asthe second metal layer 528. In the embodiments represented in FIG. 5A,the first metal layer 526 includes a screen pattern 536, similar to thescreen in FIG. 4C. In some implementations, the screen pattern 536 caninclude a plurality of through holes. Each of the through holes can besubstantially square in shape and includes a width/length between about0.5 μm and about 2 μm, including, for example, about 1 μm. In theseimplementations, the square holes in the screen pattern 536 include apitch that is about two times of the width/length of the hole. Forexample, when the width/length of each of the square hole is about 1 μm,the pitch of the square holes is about 2 μm. In some embodiments, thethrough holes in the screen pattern 536 can be of any shape, includingcircular, rectangular, triangular, polygonal, or irregular shapes.

Referring now to FIGS. 5B-5E, the method 300 proceeds to block 304 wherethe hard mask 504 is patterned to form a screen 520 over the trenchregion 514. As shown in FIG. 5B, a trench 518 is formed by anisotropicetching the ILD 510 over in the trench region 514. In forming the trench518, the second metal layer 528 in the trench region 514 can function asan etch stop layer (ESL) when the etching chemistry is selected suchthat the second metal layer 528 experiences a slower etching rate thanthe etching rate for the ILD 510. That way, the etching through the ILD510 ion the trench region 514 can be controlled. It is noted that thesecond metal layer 528 in the trench region 514 can be optional and theILD 510 in the trench region 514 can be removed without use of thesecond metal layer 528 as an ESL layer. Referring now to FIG. 5C, afterremoval of the ILD 510 in the trench region 514, the second metal layer528 in the trench region 514 is selectively etched away by an etchingchemistry that preferentially etches the second metal layer 528 withoutsubstantially etching the ILD 510. In FIG. 5D, after the second metallayer 528 in the trench region 514 is removed, the screen pattern 536 istransferred to the hard mask 504 under the first metal layer 526. Thetransfer of the screen pattern 536 can be transferred by anisotropicallyetching using an etching chemistry that preferentially etches the ILD510 and the hard mask 504 in the trench region 514 without substantiallydamaging the first metal layer 526 and the screen pattern 536. Theanisotropic etching can leave a screen 520 that resembles the screenpattern 536. Then, in FIG. 5E, the first metal layer 526 is removedusing an etching recipe that can selectively remove the first metallayer 526 without substantially damaging the ILD 510 and the hard mask504.

Referring now to FIG. 5F, the method 300 proceeds to block 306 where thehard mask 504 in the trench region 514 is etched using the screen 520 asan etch mask to form a trench 522. In some embodiments, the operationsat block 306 are carried out using an etching chemistry that has etchingselectivity with respect to the semiconductor substrate 502. That way,the material of the semiconductor substrate 502 can be selectivelyetched without substantially damaging the screen 520 formed of the hardmask 504. In examples where the semiconductor substrate 502 is a siliconsubstrate and the hard mask 504 is formed of silicon oxide, theoperations at block 306 are performed using a DRIE process thatpreferentially etches the silicon substrate 502 exposed by the screen520 without substantially damaging the screen formed of silicon oxide.In some embodiments, a cycle time for etch cycles of the DRIE processcan be increased to increase the undercut, so as to etch thesemiconductor substrate 502 directly under the screen 520. Theoperations of block 306 create the trench 522 that is buried orpositioned under the screen 520. The trench 522 can include a depth 532.In some instances, the depth 532 can be between about 30 μm and 50 μm,including, for example, about 40 μm. In case an SOI substrate is used,the depth of the trench is equal to the thickness of the top siliconlayer of the SOI substrate. The trench 522 defines the islands 541 ofthe substrate 502. The islands 541 are spaced apart and/or separated bythe trench 522.

Referring now to FIG. 5G, the method 300 proceeds to block 308 where amaterial layer 524 is deposited over the screen 520. In someembodiments, the material layer 524 is formed over the screen 520 usinga process that does not fill the trench 522 with the material layer 524.In some implementations, the material layer 524 can be a silicon oxidelayer deposited using plasma-enhanced chemical vapor deposition (PECVD)to close the holes in the screen 520. Put differently, the operations atblock 308 lay the material layer 524 over the screen 520 to completelycover the trench 522 without filling the trench 522. The operations atblock 308 therefore leave trench 522 buried under the screen 520 and thematerial layer 524.

The method 300 may include further processes to form the MEMS device500. For example, as shown in FIG. 5H, micromachined ultrasoundtransducer elements 540 and 542 can be formed over the interconnectregions 512 and 516. In some implementations, the material layer 524deposited in the interconnect regions 512 and 516 can be removed byplanarization techniques, such as CMP, before the micromachinedultrasound transducer elements 540 and 542 are formed in theinterconnect region. In some embodiments, the micromachined ultrasoundtransducer elements 540 and 542 can be capacitive micromachinedultrasound transducer elements (CMUTs) or piezoelectric micromachinedultrasound transducer (PMUT). In some implementations, electrical tracesand interconnects can be fabricated in the flexible polymer layer toform a flexible interconnect. In some further embodiments shown in FIG.5I, the semiconductor substrate 502 can be etched from a backside toform opening 538. The opening 538 exposes the buried trench 522 in FIG.5G from the backside, resulting in a structure similar to the MEMSdevice 200 in FIG. 2F. In those embodiments, the etching from thebackside of the semiconductor substrate 502 can be performed using ananisotropic etching process, such as DRIE. In some embodiments, beforethe opening 538 is formed in the semiconductor substrate 502, a flexiblepolymer layer can be formed over the interconnect regions 512 and 516and the trench region 514, including over the buried trench 522 coveredby the material layer 524 and the micromachined ultrasound transducerelements 540 and 542.

Etching a semiconductor substrate by DRIE using a screen as the etchmask to form buried trenches, such as trenches 412 and 414 in FIG. 4C ortrench 522 in FIG. 5F, can generate unique structures on the sidewallsof the buried trenches. Referring now to FIG. 6, shown therein is ascanning electron microscope (SEM) image of a trench 604 formed in asemiconductor substrate 602 without using a screen as an etch mask. Whenthe trench 604 is anisotropically etched using deep reactive ion etching(DRIE), a uni-directional wave-like surface 606 can be observed. Theuni-directional wave-like surface 606 includes wave-like structurespropagating along a direction 608, which is parallel to the etchingdirection of the DRIE.

When a screen, such as those described herein, is used as an etch mask,the patterns on sidewalls of the trench change. Referring now to FIG.7A, shown therein is a SEM image of a buried trench 704 formed in asemiconductor substrate 702 using a screen 708 formed in a hard masklayer 706. Similar to the embodiments shown in FIGS. 4A-4G or FIGS.5A-5I, the semiconductor substrate 702 can be a silicon substrate andthe hard mask layer 706 can be a silicon oxide layer. FIG. 7B shows aSEM image of the sidewall 710 of the buried trench 704 viewed from adirection 712. As illustrated in FIG. 7B, the sidewall 710 can include abi-directional wave-like surface 714. The bi-directional wave-likesurface 714 includes wave-like structures that propagate along the Xdirection as well as the Y direction perpendicular to the X direction.In some instances, the uni-directional wave-like surface 606 can bereferred to as single scallops and the bi-directional wave-like surface714 can be referred to as double scallops. The bi-directional wave-likesurface 714 on the sidewall 710 is present at the end of themanufacturing process. The surface 714 provides an indication aftermanufacturing is complete that the trenches were formed by etchingthrough a screen in the hard mask layer, as described herein, withoutetching completely through the hard mask layer.

FIGS. 8A and 8B are diagrammatic top views of a semiconductor substratewith different substrate sidewall configurations according toembodiments of the present disclosure. The substrate is separated intospaced-apart segments 841, each having multiple sidewalls. Generally, atleast one sidewall of a substrate island 841 with ultrasound transducerelements 806 (or areas therefor) includes the two-directional wave-likefeatures described in FIGS. 7A and 7B. The hard mask layer 804 of theMEMS device 800 in FIG. 8A includes connections points 810 between thehard mask and the substrate islands 841. The two-directional wave-likefeatures occur along the sidewalls of the substrate below the connectionpoints 810 of the hard mask to the substrate islands 841. In theembodiment of FIG. 8A, all four sidewalls of each island 841 includesthe connection points 810 and thus the two-directional wave-likefeatures as well.

The hard mask layer 854 of the MEMS device 850 includes openings 817 inthe form of a single slit. The sidewalls of the substrate below thesingle slit 817 include the uni-directional wave-like features describedin FIG. 6. The hard mask layer 854 also includes the connection points810 of the hard mask to the substrate islands 841. The two-directionalwave-like features (FIGS. 7A and 7B) occur along the sidewalls of thesubstrate below the connection points 810. Accordingly, in theembodiment of FIG. 8B, one or more sidewalls of each island 841 includeuni-directional wave-like features, and one or more sidewalls of theeach island 841 include the two-directional wave-like features.

Thus, the present disclosure provides a method of forming a buriedtrench in a semiconductor substrate and a MEMS device fabricated usingthe method. By eliminating the use of a sacrificial polymer material,the embodiments of the present disclosure advantageously improve theyield and enlarge the process window of forming buried trenches in MEMSdevices. Besides fabrication of MEMS devices such as ultrasoundtransducer arrays, the embodiments of the present disclosure can beapplied to microfluidics, to create well-defined micro channels in,e.g., a silicon substrate. Persons skilled in the art will recognizethat the apparatus, systems, and methods described above can be modifiedin various ways. Accordingly, persons of ordinary skill in the art willappreciate that the embodiments encompassed by the present disclosureare not limited to the particular embodiments described above. In thatregard, although illustrative embodiments have been shown and described,a wide range of modification, change, and substitution is contemplatedin the foregoing disclosure. It is understood that such variations maybe made to the foregoing without departing from the scope of the presentdisclosure. Accordingly, it is appropriate that the appended claims beconstrued broadly and in a manner consistent with the presentdisclosure.

What is claimed is:
 1. An intraluminal ultrasound imaging device,comprising: a flexible elongate member configured to be positionedwithin a body lumen of a patient, the flexible elongate membercomprising a proximal portion and a distal portion; and an ultrasoundimaging assembly disposed at the distal portion of the flexible elongatemember, the ultrasound imaging assembly configured to obtain imagingdata of the body lumen, the ultrasound imaging assembly comprising atransducer array comprising: a substrate separated into a plurality ofspaced-apart segments, a hard mask layer disposed over the substrate,and a plurality of rows of transducer elements disposed on the hard masklayer, wherein at least one sidewall of each of the plurality ofspaced-apart segments of the substrate comprises wave-like featurespropagating along two directions perpendicular to one another.
 2. Theintraluminal ultrasound imaging device of claim 1, wherein the substratecomprises silicon, wherein the hard mask layer comprises silicon oxide.3. The intraluminal ultrasound imaging device of claim 1, wherein eachof the plurality of rows of transducer elements comprises capacitivemicromachined ultrasound transducer (CMUT) elements or piezoelectricmicromachined ultrasound transducer (PMUT) elements.
 4. The intraluminalultrasound imaging device of claim 1, wherein the ultrasound imagingassembly further comprises a flexible interconnect, wherein two of theplurality of rows of transducer elements are spaced apart from oneanother by a trench, wherein the flexible interconnect spans over thetrench, and wherein the flexible interconnect comprises a surfaceincluding an array of recesses.
 5. The intraluminal ultrasound imagingdevice of claim 4, further comprising: a tubular member, wherein theflexible interconnect and the transducer array positioned around thetubular member.
 6. A method of manufacturing an intraluminal ultrasoundimaging device, comprising: providing a substrate comprising a hard maskon a first side of the substrate; forming a first plurality of holesthrough the hard mask in a first area; etching the substrate through thefirst plurality of holes, thereby forming a trench; depositing amaterial layer over first plurality of holes; forming a plurality ofultrasound transducer elements in a second area adjacent to the firstarea; and forming a flexible layer over the substrate in the first andsecond areas.
 7. The method of claim 6, wherein the substrate is asilicon-on-insulator (SOI) substrate.
 8. The method of claim 6, whereinproviding the substrate comprises forming the hard mask on the firstside of the substrate.
 9. The method of claim 6, wherein forming thefirst plurality of holes through the hard mask in the first areacomprises etching the hard mask using a metal layer as an etch mask, themetal layer including a second plurality of holes.
 10. The method ofclaim 6, wherein etching the substrate through the first plurality ofholes comprises etching the substrate through the first plurality ofholes using deep reactive ion etching (DRIE).
 11. The method of claim 6,wherein depositing the material layer over the first plurality of holescomprises depositing the material layer using plasma-enhanced chemicalvapor deposition (PECVD).
 12. The method of claim 6, wherein forming theplurality of ultrasound transducer elements in the second area comprisesforming capacitive micromachined ultrasound transducer (CMUT) elementsor piezoelectric micromachined ultrasound transducer (PMUT) elements.13. The method of claim 6, further comprising: forming an opening on asecond side of the substrate to expose the trench.
 14. The method ofclaim 13, further comprising: removing, from the second side through theopening, the material layer and the hard mask exposed in the trench. 15.The method of claim 6, further comprising planarizing the material layerdeposited over the first plurality of holes.
 16. An intraluminalultrasound imaging device, comprising: a flexible elongate memberconfigured to be positioned within a body lumen of a patient, theflexible elongate member comprising a proximal portion and a distalportion; and an ultrasound imaging assembly disposed at the distalportion of the flexible elongate member, the ultrasound imaging assemblyconfigured to obtain imaging data of the body lumen, the ultrasoundimaging assembly comprising a transducer array comprising: a substrate,a silicon oxide layer disposed over the substrate, and a plurality ofrows of micromachined ultrasound transducer elements disposed on thesilicon oxide layer, wherein two of the plurality of rows ofmicromachined ultrasound transducer elements are spaced apart by atrench formed by etching through a screen formed in the silicon oxidelayer.